The Vatican Information Service is a news service, founded in the Holy See Press Office, that provides information about the Magisterium and the pastoral activities of the Holy Father and the Roman Curia...[+]

Last 5 news

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Vatican
City, 11 June 2013
(VIS) – This morning the Holy Father sent the following audio
message to the Italian Association for the Blind and Visually
Impaired (Unione Italiana Ciechi e Ipovedenti) on the occasion of
their summer program for around 75, mostly elderly, persons at their Le
Torri Centre in Tirrenia, Italy, specializing in rehabilitation
studies and vacations.

“I
know that … some of you wanted to come to Rome,” the Pope said.
“Thanks to modern technology, I can come to you! Thank you for your
appreciation, for your affection, and especially for your prayers.”

“The
Gospels tell us that Jesus had a particular care for the blind.
Besides other sick persons, He healed many blind persons. But the
healing of a visually impaired person has special symbolic meaning:
it represents the gift of faith. It is a sign that concerns us all
because we all need the light of faith to walk along the path of
life. This is why Baptism, which is the first Sacrament of Faith, was
also called 'illumination' in antiquity.”

“I
ask the Lord to renew the gift of faith in each of you, so that your
spirits may alway have God's light, the light of love that makes
sense of our lives, illuminates it, gives us hope, and makes us good
and available to our brothers and sisters.”

“I
also wish the best for your association. … Always spread a culture
of encounter, solidarity, and hospitality towards persons with
disabilities, not just asking for the proper social services but also
encouraging their active participation in society.”

“I
entrust you all to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our
Mother. I ask you to pray for me and for my service to the Church and
I wholeheartedly bless you, together with your loved ones.”

Vatican
City, 11 June 2013
(VIS) – On Monday, 10 June, in the offices of the Government Palace
in the capital city, Praia, in the presence of Prime Minister Jose
Maria Neves, an Accord between the Holy See and the Republic of Cape
Verde on the juridical status of the Catholic Church in Cape Verde
was signed.

The
signatories were: for the Holy See, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti,
secretary for Relations with States, and for the Republic of Cape
Verde, Mr. Jorge Alberto da Silva Borges, Minister of Foreign
Affairs.

The
agreement, taking note of the good relations that have developed
between the Holy See and the Republic of Cape Verde in the last 37
years, defines and guarantees the legal status of the Catholic Church
and regulates areas including canonical marriage, places of worship,
Catholic institutions of instruction and education, the teaching of
religion in schools, the Church's charitable care activities,
pastoral care in the military and in penitential and health care
facilities, and the property and taxation system. The agreement,
which consists of a preamble and 30 articles, will enter into force
on the thirtieth day after the exchange of instruments of
ratification.

“As
agreed at its third meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February 2012, the
Vietnam - Holy See Joint Working Group will hold its fourth meeting
in the Vatican on 13-14 June. The meeting will serve to strengthen
and develop bilateral relations between Vietnam and the Holy See".

Vatican
City, 11 June 2013
(VIS) – Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, C.S., Holy See permanent
observer to the United Nations and other international organisations
in Geneva, addressed the 23rd Session of the Human Rights Council
after the Holy See delegation had reviewed the UN Report on Access to
Medicines. Archbishop Tomasi's statement points out an “insufficient
attention to certain factors cited as 'key elements' by the Special
Rapporteur”.

Instead
of the legal factors that were the Report's main focus, “the Holy
See Delegation found that the Report paid insufficient attention to
basic needs of individuals and families, at all stages of the life
cycle from conception to natural death.” In order to effectively
provide access to medicines, “an integral human development
approach that promotes just legal frameworks as well as international
solidarity, not only among States, but also among and between all
peoples” must be developed. The Holy See noted, with alarm, “the
difficulties millions of people face as they seek to obtain minimal
subsistence and the medicines they need to cure themselves” and
called for “establishing true distributive justice which guarantees
everyone adequate care on the basis of objective needs.”

While
the prerequisite of States' responsibility in making medicines
available is clear, “the strong engagement of non-governmental and
religious organizations in providing both medicines and a wide range
of treatment and preventive measures to ensure the full enjoyment of
the right to health also should have been acknowledged.” Archbishop
Tomasi concluded his address with the observation that “optimal
facilitation of access to medicine is a complex endeavour and
deserves comprehensive analysis and acknowledgement of all factors
contributing to its promotion, rather than a more restricted analysis
of legal, economic, and political frameworks.“